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20 mobile apps for n…
20 mobile apps for nurses in 2012
Posted 26 days ago

If you have an iPhone, iPad or other mobile device, you likely have a ton of apps taking up space. While some of those apps are likely tailored for fun…

Read More
Another Big Step in …
Another Big Step in Reshaping Health Care
Posted 26 days ago

Hospitals and health insurers are locking horns over how much health-care providers will get paid under new insurance plans that will be sold as the federal health law is rolled…

Read More
New Joint Commission…
New Joint Commission alert addresses medical device alarm sa…
Posted 26 days ago

(OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. – April 8, 2013) The constant beeping of alarms and an overabundance of information transmitted by medical devices such as ventilators, blood pressure monitors and ECG (electrocardiogram)…

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Archive for Travel Nursing

20 mobile apps for nurses in 2012

By David McWilliams
Wednesday, April 24th, 2013

If you have an iPhone, iPad or other mobile device, you likely have a ton of apps taking up space. While some of those apps are likely tailored for fun (Angry Birds, Words with Friends), there’s no question that you can use your smartphone to serve your nursing career.

Of course, when you’re in your scrubs and ready to tackle the shift, using mobile apps to get information on drugs to anatomy to conditions is a no-brainer way to better treat your patients and keep reference materials easily accessible. Here’s a look at 20 top clinical apps for nurses in 2012!

Not all of these apps are free, but when you think about the great services they provide—such as keeping you on top of ever-changing medical data—it’s well worth the money.

1. Davis Mobile NCLEX-RN Med-Surg: If you’re still a student and studying for your boards, this app will give you questions to answer while you’re waiting for the bus, sitting in front of the television or hanging out between classes. The convenience of questions by phone was unheard of only a few years ago. Now you can study in your downtime.

2. Pill Identifier by Drugs.com: Oh no! Your patient accidentally drop his pills on the floor. Unfortunately, you have no idea which medications they were! When you call the pharmacy for new ones, what will you tell them? Pill Identifier lets you look up pills by their common features to find out which ones you need to reorder.

3. Skyscape Medical Resources: This app is a great bundle of useful tools for nurses rolled into one. The free version includes comprehensive info on prescription drugs, a medical calculator by specialty, evidence-based clinical information on hundreds of diseases and symptom-related topics and timely content that nurses need to know on-the-go such as journal summaries, breaking clinical news and drug alerts.

4. Instant ECG: An Electrocardiogram Rhythms Interpretation Guide: With more than 90 high-resolution images of ECGs, this app is perfect for the telemetry nurse who often needs to interpret rhythms. Let’s face it, some of them are just plain tough to remember, and this app makes them easily accessible when you’re stumped.

5. Critical Care ACLS Guide: In addition to laying out the ACLS algorithms, this app has such helpful information as the rule of 9s for burns, chest X-ray interpretation and 12-lead EKG interpretation. This will come in handy for any nurse who is working in the ICU or other critical care area.

6. Fast Facts for Critical Care: In keeping with the critical care theme, this app offers even more in-depth knowledge you need when working in a critical unit. Based on the books by Kathy White, this app includes information on managing sepsis, heart failure and 16 classes of critical care drugs.

7. Pocket Lab Values: Sure, you have the lab values that come along with lab reports nowadays, but sometimes you aren’t at your computer to know the specific values of certain labs. This app helps with that by keeping you up to date on numbers, such as ABGs, lumbar puncture and immunology values.

8. Pocket Body: Musculoskeletal by Pocket Anatomy: For nursing students, memorizing the names of bones and muscles is often one of the most challenging parts of school. With this app, you will have the names and structures available to study—either on the job or when trying to prepare for that all-important test.

9. Sleep Sounds: Need to relax? On your lunch break, you can play the soothing sounds of a thunderstorm, the wind or a cat purring to calm your mind and escape from the rigors of the floor. Just don’t get too relaxed—you need to finish your shift!

10. IDdx: Infectious Disease Queries: This handy reference of more than 250 diseases allows you to type in the symptom of an infectious disease and see a display of all the diseases that contain that symptom. You’re sure to find the reason for your patient’s problem.

11. Harriet Lane Handbook: If you work in peds, this app is just the one you need. It focuses on the conditions of childhood, how to dose medications for children and immunization schedules. When working with kids, you have to know a different set of rules, and this is the handbook for that.

12. MRSA eGuideline: MRSA is a big problem in hospitals today, and you need to know the information that’s going to help keep your patients safe from this condition. This app talks about vancomycin dosing, drug information and how to deal with MRSA in infants.

13. Symptomia: This is another app that allows you to input a symptom, and it will return for you all possible diseases that have that symptom. It includes information on abdominal distention, vertigo and coughing, among other common symptoms.

14. The Color Atlas of Family Medicine: This app comes with a hefty price tag of $95, but is worth the investment for the full-color pictures on your phone or iPad that show common skin conditions, rashes and other conditions in a glorious multimedia presentation.

15. Anesthesia Drugs: Fast: If you’re working in the OR or studying to become a nurse anesthetist, this will come in handy for calculating your drug dosages. Simply enter a weight and the proper dose is given to you for a wide range of anesthesia drugs.

16. Med Mnemonics: We all need help remembering the vast amount of information that comes at us in nursing school and on the job. One of the easiest ways to remember is with mnemonics that help to jog your memory. This app lists all the common aides to studying in a simple format.

17. Heart Murmur Pro: The Heart Sound Database: Sometimes it’s hard to know what sounds are important when listening to the heart with your stethoscope. This app has a collection of the common and uncommon heart sounds so that you can learn to identify them.

18. palmPEDi: Pediatric Emergency Medicine Tape for the PICU, OR, ED: When working with children in critical care areas, you need to know the equipment sizes, drug doses and other peds-specific knowledge to act fast. This app puts all of that information on your phone and at your command.

19. Medscape: This app gives you the latest in medical news right at your fingertips. You can also look up unknown drugs, conditions and procedures directly from the app. The icing on the cake? It’s totally free!

20. Davis’s Drug Guide 2012: This is the go-to guide for nurses when they want to look up the actions of a medication. This app is a little more pricey than some other apps, but the fact that it is made by Davis and has such a great reputation as a guide for nurses makes it worth the price.

Source: Scrubs

Categories : Nursing, Travel Nursing

Another Big Step in Reshaping Health Care

By David McWilliams
Wednesday, April 24th, 2013

Hospitals and health insurers are locking horns over how much health-care providers will get paid under new insurance plans that will be sold as the federal health law is rolled out.

The results will play a major role in determining how much insurers will ultimately charge consumers for these policies, which will be offered to individuals through so-called exchanges in each state.

The upshot: Many plans sold on the exchanges will include smaller choices of health-care providers in an effort to bring down premiums.

To keep costs low, the insurers are pressing for hospitals to grant discounts from the rates hospitals usually get in commercial plans. In return, participating hospitals would be part of smaller networks of providers. Hospitals will be paid less by the insurer, but will likely get more patients because those people will have fewer choices. The bet is that many consumers will be willing to accept these narrower networks because it will help keep premiums down.

Tenet Healthcare Corp., one of the biggest U.S. hospital operators with 49 hospitals, Tuesday said it had signed three contracts for exchange plans that would involve either narrow or “tiered” networks, in which people pay more to go to health-care providers that aren’t in the top tier.

Tenet said that in exchange for favorable status in these plans, it granted discounts of less than 10% to the three insurers, which it said were Blue Cross & Blue Shield plans covering 15 of its hospitals, or around 30%.

“It makes strategic sense for us,” said Trevor Fetter, Tenet’s CEO, in an interview. “There will be a market here, and it’s important for us, we believe, to participate in that market.” He said that insurers around the country have approached Tenet to discuss similar plan designs.

Analysts said Tenet’s disclosures, which came during an earnings call with analysts, are the most explicit from any hospital chain so far about how the negotiations are shaping up. “It’s the clearest statement they’ve gotten about exchange products, pricing and impact,” said Sheryl Skolnick, an analyst with CRT Capital Group LLC.

Exchange plans will take effect in 2014. In that first year, health plans sold on the exchanges could have 11 million to 13 million enrollees and generate $50 billion to $60 billion in premium revenue, according to an estimate from PwC’s Health Research Institute, an arm of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

Stonegate Advisors LLC, a research firm that works for health insurers, has been testing clients’ plans with consumers in a mock-up version of an exchange, which is an online insurance marketplace. Marc Pierce, the firm’s president, says nearly all the products have included limited provider networks.

The tests have found that premiums are the most important factor in consumers’ choices, he said, with more than half typically opting for a narrow-network product if it cost them at least 10% less than an equivalent with broader choice.

Florida Blue, the Blue Cross & Blue Shield plan in the state, will offer plans with a “tighter, more select group of providers” in its exchange, said Chief Executive Patrick J. Geraghty in an interview. “We believe the exchange is going to be driven by price, and therefore we’re looking for a lower-price option.”

The insurer has already struck deals for narrow-network plans and will use those same terms for the exchange versions, it said. Florida Blue said it has been winning discounts of 5% to 10% off typical commercial rates from hospital systems, but getting breaks as high as 20% in some cases.

Plans with smaller choices of health-care providers are a big focus for insurers, partly because many other aspects of exchange plans, including benefits and out-of-pocket charges that consumers pay, are largely prescribed by the law, giving them few levers to push to reduce premiums.

“The need for a smaller network with lower pricing was critical,” said Juan Davila, an executive vice president at Blue Shield of California, which said it hopes to offer a preferred-provider-organization plan for individuals on the exchange. It would be built around a provider network around 40%-45% of its traditional PPO scope. Mr. Davila said Blue Shield had signed an exchange contract with Tenet but declined to comment on its terms.

So far, insurers and hospitals have sent differing signals on what kinds of discounts the hospitals might grant for the exchange plans, which would vary by market. Publicly traded hospital chains have said they are pressing to get paid approximately what they receive for traditional commercial health insurance.

Some insurers talk about steeper discounts from hospitals. WellPoint Inc. has said it is aiming to pay providers somewhere between Medicaid and Medicare rates, and sees talks trending toward rates close to Medicare. Medicare rates are often substantially lower than commercial prices. An Aetna Inc. official at an investor conference Monday suggested the rates might settle somewhere between Medicare and commercial.

For their part, hospitals have to weigh whether discounts they grant for exchange products pose a risk to the richer pricing they get for traditional commercial health plans, which include those now offered by employers.

Catholic Health Initiatives, a not-for-profit operator of 78 hospitals based in Englewood, Colo., said it is negotiating with insurers about exchange plans in around half of its markets, and insurers are often seeking to craft narrow-network designs.

CHI is taking a “conservative” approach and discussing “very modest discounts in exchange for a narrow-network opportunity,” said Juan Serrano, a senior vice president, in an interview.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Categories : Health Care, Travel Nursing

New Joint Commission alert addresses medical device alarm safety in hospitals

By David McWilliams
Wednesday, April 24th, 2013

(OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. – April 8, 2013) The constant beeping of alarms and an overabundance of information transmitted by medical devices such as ventilators, blood pressure monitors and ECG (electrocardiogram) machines is creating “alarm fatigue” that puts hospital patients at serious risk, according to a Sentinel Event Alert issued today by The Joint Commission.

The Joint Commission Alert urges leaders at hospitals to take a focused look at this serious patient safety issue. Over a recent four-year period, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) database shows that there were more than 560 alarm-related deaths and The Joint Commission’s sentinel event database includes reports of 80 alarm-related deaths and 13 serious alarm-related injuries during a similar period. Patient deaths related to alarms on monitoring devices have also been the focus of national media attention and special reports by the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) and ECRI Institute. The Joint Commission, AAMI, ECRI Institute and American College of Clinical Engineering also brought together patient safety and health care experts at a 2011 summit to seek solutions to problems with medical device alarms.

Alarms are intended to alert caregivers of potential problems, but can compromise patient safety if they are not properly managed. Many patient care areas have numerous alarms and the barrage of warning noises tend to desensitize caregivers and cause them to ignore alarms or even disable them. Other issues associated with effective alarm management include too many medical devices with alarms or individual alarms that are difficult to hear.  Pre-set or default settings also may cause problems because the device sounds a warning even when no action or decision by a caregiver is required. Rather than calling attention to a patient’s needs, these settings may distract caregivers.

These issues vary greatly among hospitals and even within different units in a single hospital. Although there are many variables, the Alert makes it clear that in order to reduce risks related to alarms on medical devices, a series of actions still needs to occur related to people, processes and technology.

“Alarm fatigue and management of alarms are important safety issues that we must confront,” says Ana McKee, M.D., executive vice president and chief medical officer, The Joint Commission. “The recommendations in this Alert offer hospitals a framework on which to assess their individual circumstances and develop a systematic, coordinated approach to alarms. By making alarm safety a priority, lives can be saved.”

The Joint Commission Alert recommends that health care organizations take the following actions, which correspond with recommendations made by both AAMI and ECRI Institute:

  • Ensure that there is a process for safe alarm management and response in areas identified by the organization as high risk.
  • Prepare an inventory of alarm-equipped medical devices used in high-risk areas and for high-risk clinical conditions, and identify the default alarm settings and the limits appropriate for each care area.
  • Establish guidelines for alarm settings on alarm-equipped medical devices used in high-risk areas and for high-risk clinical conditions; include identification of situations when alarm signals are not clinically necessary.
  • Establish guidelines for tailoring alarm settings and limits for individual patients. The guidelines should address situations when limits can be modified to minimize alarm signals and the extent to which alarms can be modified to minimize alarm signals.
  • Inspect, check and maintain alarm-equipped medical devices to provide for accurate and appropriate alarm settings, proper operation, and detectability. Base the frequency of these activities on criteria such as manufacturers’ recommendations, risk levels and current experience.

The Joint Commission Alert also recommends training and education for all clinical care team members on safe alarm management and response in high-risk areas. In addition, organizations should consider how to reduce nuisance alarm signals and to determine whether critical alarm signals can actually be heard in patient care areas. Seeking input from patient care providers, health care engineers, risk managers and information technology professionals, organizations should also establish policies and processes for alarm safety that include the regular review of trends and patterns that reveal improvement opportunities. Finally, the Alert urges organizations to share information about alarm-related incidents, prevention strategies and lessons learned with organizations such as AAMI, ECRI, the FDA and The Joint Commission.

Beyond the Alert, The Joint Commission is considering the possible creation of a National Patient Safety Goal to help health care organizations address this issue. A field review of the proposed Goal occurred in February and the public comments are now under review. The Joint Commission already has numerous accreditation standards in place related to alarm safety. The standards address issues such as leadership, the environment of care, provision of care and staff training and education.

The warning about medical device alarms is part of a series of Alerts issued by The Joint Commission. Much of the information and guidance provided in these Alerts is drawn from The Joint Commission’s Sentinel Event Database, one of the nation’s most comprehensive voluntary reporting systems for serious adverse events in health care. The database includes detailed information about both adverse events and their underlying causes.  Previous Alerts have addressed risks associated with the use of opioids, health care worker fatigue, diagnostic imaging risks, violence in health care facilities, maternal deaths, health care technology, anticoagulants, wrong-site surgery, medication mix-ups, health care-associated infections and patient suicides, among others. The complete list and text of past issues of Sentinel Event Alert can be found on The Joint Commission website.

Source: The Joint Commission

Categories : Health Care, The Joint Commission, Travel Nursing

Up-to-date vaccination records can help when starting a travel assignment

By Libby · Comments (0)
Wednesday, March 13th, 2013

Health care workers are sometimes exposed to people who are ill with a vaccine-preventable disease or to contaminated blood and bodily fluids that could result in illnesses. Most health care workers are required to have proof of vaccination or evidence of immunity against several vaccine-preventable diseases to make sure they are protected and to prevent passing these infections to their patients.

An up-to-date vaccination record helps you and your doctors know if you’re protected against vaccine-preventable diseases. Can’t find your records? You’re not alone. The following tips can jumpstart your search!

  • Check with your current and previous health care providers, including urgent care and public health clinics, or pharmacies where you may have received vaccinations.
  • Investigate old family albums, baby book or family Bibles.
  • Contact your college’s medical services department (student health).
  • Review your military records.
  • See if your state has an immunization registry.
  • Check with your health insurance company to see if it has a record of your vaccinations. Often, medical records are passed from health care provider to insurer and then between insurers if you change medical plans.

Source: CDC

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Categories : Travel Nursing

The one Mistake every nurse should never make?

By Libby · Comments (0)
Wednesday, March 13th, 2013

So I know when you read the title all you could think about was ‘what is it??!’ Anyone who is a nurse or on their way to being a nurse can use this piece of advice!

We live in the world of life and death. I don’t think anyone will argue with me on that. We can have many levels of definition when we are asked what a ‘bad day’ really is. In the end, we shoulder a lot of responsibility caring for our patients, and we sure don’t want to make ‘that one mistake’.We’ve all made mistakes. I know I have. Some small, some great, some breath-taking, and some are quite comical. At the end of the day we are all human right? Aren’t we entitle to tripping up once in a while?

I think it has a lot to do with HOW we learned of our mistake sometimes that can determine how that mistake impacts us. In nursing school I remember a patient of mine having an IV site issue. The nurse caring for him did some adjustments to his IV site. While addressing the IV, she raised the bed up high enough to be close to waist-height (more than likely to lessen the strain on her back while troubleshooting). That particular day it was my big day to hang my first IV. I got to prime the tubing, lock it into the IV pump and then attach it to the patient (I think we all remember that first time). I was nervous as all get out. I had followed the steps prior to entering the room. I rehearsed them in my head before I approached the IV pump. I check and triple checked the tubing. Reviewed the 7 rights, etc., etc.

I successfully hung the med and had it infusing properly with no alarms and no messes! When I was getting read to leave the patients bedside, my nursing instructor asked if I forgot anything? Silently in my head I panicked and retraced all my steps four more times. Check, check, re-check.

I paused before answering no, that everything was fine.

The nursing instructor asked me a second time. I re-traced my steps, 4 more checks over my work. I replied again with an ‘Aye-oh-OK’ response.

This dialogue happened two more times before the patient finally looked over at me and kindly (and jokingly) said, “She’s obviously trying to tell ya something”.

I still for the life of me couldn’t figure it out??

My instructor kindly replies, “Well, good job on the IV, but if Mr. Smith wants to get out of bed to use the restroom or anything else he’s going to have to jump (and maybe fall).”

I looked at the bed – and it was still at waist-height! I got so involved in my task that I forgot that the nurse had raised his bed for that IV site troubleshoot!

I was mortified. I had missed something so basic, so simple, yet SO very important. To this day I tell that story to any and all that will listen. I have never left my patient’s bed at an unsafe height. Every time I leave my patient’s room I always, always, always lower the bed to its lowest setting. The way I learned that lesson has remained engrained in my brain.

I’ve made many more mistakes since then. Some even more comical, and some down right scary. I once entered in the wrong infusion settings for a narcotic medication for a patient. I transposed concentration and total amount of drug settings on the IV pump. Lets just say, thankfully the patient was intubated and the mistake was found quickly.

So back to my original statement : What is the one mistake every nurse shouldn’t make??

The mistake that they do not learn from.

Learning from your mistakes is the single most important process of growing and maturing as a practitioner. Not learning from a mistake will set you up to make that same mistake again.

Be sure to learn from all your mistakes, no matter how great or small, your patients will thank you for it.

 Source: Scrubs Magazine
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Categories : Health Care, Nursing, TaleMed, Travel Nursing

10 Best Children’s Hospitals Rated

By Libby · Comments (0)
Wednesday, March 13th, 2013

At children’s hospitals nationwide, a growing number of very sick children are finding hope in never-before-tried treatments. And the quality of care isn’t just important to those families, a new poll found that 40 percent of Parents readers have a child who has been treated at a pediatric hospital. We took both routine care and difficult cases into account for our latest survey of children’s hospitals. Last fall, members of the Children’s Hospital Association (formerly the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions) each provided more than 1,000 pieces of information.

We crunched the numbers with guidance from medical advisors, emphasizing treatment-success rates, research studies, and doctors’ experience. Where there was a close call, we gave the edge to hospitals that provide extra TLC for families of outpatients and inpatients: private NICU rooms, play areas that are open 24/7, and music and art therapists to hang out with kids. Whether a child needs a cast for a broken arm or a bioengineered cancer drug, an asthma inhaler or a double lung transplant, these top hospitals have children covered — and then some.

1. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

2. Boston Children’s Hospital

3. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

4. Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

5. Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora

6. Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC

7. Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston

8. University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, Ann Arbor

9. Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio

10. Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago

Source: Parents.com

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Categories : Health Care, Nursing, TaleMed, Travel Nursing

Nurses: Looking to make more money and travel? Why not become a travel nurse?

By Theresa · Comments (0)
Thursday, December 6th, 2012

If being a nurse is your dream job and you love to travel, then being a travel nurse is a great opportunity for you. It’s also an opportunity to make more many than the average nurse income of  $64,690 per year or  $31.10 per hour. Travel nurse salary depend on various factors such as experience, geographic location, and qualifications. Travel nurse might expect to earn a range of $80,000 to $90,000 per annual, provided with accommodation.

Income is higher in places with the highest cost of living including New York, Chicago San Francisco and places in the metropolitan areas. Yet, this does not include all the benefits and perks that travel nurse can receive on top of salary.

Benefits and Perks

The travel nurse salary is lucrative but the benefits are great as well. The advice is to register with the right travel nurse recruitment agency. You can expect to reap some serious benefits such as free, luxury housing, health insurance, reimbursement of travel expenses and discounted commodities including free cell phone service and roadside assistance. Other benefits that increase your total earning, is bonuses. The starting bonus for registering with a recruitment agency fluctuates but can be as great as $5000 or more. Referral bonuses also vary but often around $500 per referral. In the end, with the salary range of $80,000 to $90,000 bonus all of the great benefits you can expect to earn somewhere between $100,000 to $110,000.

Other Perks of Becoming a Travel Nurse

  • The Experience
    You get to work in a variety of the best hospitals around the country.  This helps you to broaden  your skills, learn different methods of care, meet fellow nurses and doctors, and enhance your resume.  Want to work at the next children’s hospital in the country?  You can do it.  Want to work at the top cancer centers?  You can do it.  Anything you want to do is available to you because of the seasonal need for nurses.  Whether you’re relatively new to the healthcare profession or  a veteran, travel healthcare will open your eyes to a wealth of new experiences.  You will  see how different facilities are managed.  You will have the opportunity to work in a variety of fields, if you choose.  And, you will  learn some amazing things from all the different practitioners you have the opportunity to work with.
  • Travel
    You get to visit cities you otherwise would probably not get to experience.  Sure, you may visit, but living there and visiting are two different things.  As a travel nurse, you can choose to travel all over the country or if you prefer to stay near your hometown, you can select   an assignment in your local area.  Some nurses prefer to travel every few months, while others rather stay in one area so they can experience all the seasons of the area.  As a travel nurse, you’ll get to see and stay in places that you’ve always wanted to.  You can work with your recruiter to build a wish list and spend time in some of our nation’s top destinations.
  • Hospital Politics
    The typical travel assignment is for 13 weeks.  Therefore, it is very difficult to be sucked into the politics that tend to unfortunately creep into many nursing units.  There is probably not an experienced nurse anywhere that doesn’t understand the frustrations associated with the negative dynamics or “politics” that can take place between fellow nurses, managers, administration, and physicians.  Travel nurses have no obligation to stick around and deal with these dynamics.

Want help with some of the many questions associated with travel nursing, download this free guide – The RN Travel Guide.

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Categories : Travel Nursing

Preparing For Your Career as a Travel Nurse

By Theresa · Comments (0)
Friday, April 20th, 2012

So you had an amazing interview and received an offer for a great travel nursing opportunity. That means that hard part is over. Right? Wrong.  In order to complete the process you need to go through the following seven steps.

Step 1: Give me some credit

Though it may seem silly to have to prove you graduated from an accredited nursing school when you have an RN license in your hand, it is still necessary to provide documentation. It seems obvious that you must graduate from nursing school in order to get a license, but your agency may have to “prove” this. Agencies must do either primary or secondary source verification of your education. To make life easier and the process to go faster you should obtain an official copy of your transcript to fax or email to your agency. Many schools have closed, so find out what repository holds your schools records and give this information to your agency if needed.

Step 2: References? Who Needs References?

While I am sure that everyone you have worked with loved you, it is still necessary for your travel agency to do a reference check.  This can be a very challenging and difficult step in the process.

Here are a few tried and true suggestions that traveling nurses say work best:

  • Find out if your current or past Charge Nurse/Director/CNO will be able to provide an actual reference for you.
  •  Make sure the people you list as potential references know that you have listed them as such.  It’s always best to ask them for a reference and explain what type of work you are looking for.
  • Make sure you have current phone numbers for them and correct names. Also, make sure your agency knows what your last name was when you worked at the place they are calling.
  • Get written letters of reference that can be verified.  Sometimes the game of phone tag can create delay.  Written reference letters can save a lot of time and can help alleviate the stress of reference checks.
  • Provide information on the units where the charge nurse providing your reference works.  This background information will help speed up the process.

Step 3: How hard can it be to get a license?

Some states make getting a license a snap but some make you jump through a few more hoops. If you follow these guidelines, you might get a relatively pain-free license.

  • Read the instructions carefully. Filling out an application in red ink will get it returned to you. Always use black or dark blue ink.
  • Making out a money order incorrectly can delay getting your license.
  • Make sure you give the board an address where someone will physically available so that they can forward the license to you. The post office is supposed to return correspondence from the board (much like credit card or banking information) and will NOT forward this to you.
  • Check your license status to see if it is “Compact”. If it is, you just opened the door to a lot of new destinations without needing an additional license. States like Arizona, Texas, North Carolina and Virginia are just a few of the 24 Compact states.

Step 4: ACLS – Don’t leave home without it

When it comes to certifications, you have to be very organized. It is a requirement that your ACLS, BLS, PALS or any other certification be carried on your person at all times. Make sure you have the actual cards issued by the instructor and that they are signed by both you and the instructor. If you only have a copy, save yourself a headache and renew the certification if you can’t get the instructor to send you a new card. Also, don’t take for granted that just any certification fits the bill. For example, ACLS provided by the American Heart Association is the most widely accepted and many facilities will not take any other variety.

Step 5: Do you have your health records?

Remember when you were processed as a staff nurse at your current hospital? They likely drew titers, performed a physical, renewed your TB, etc. Ask for copies of these records. As caregivers you bear the burden of proving you are immune to many diseases. To avoid delays and added expense, obtain these records from each employer as they renew them and keep them with you so that you can produce them “on demand.”

Smart Traveler Tip: Load all your documents on a flash drive and make copies. Keep one in a safe place (safe deposit box, Mom’s house, etc) and another in your vehicle at all times. You will then have a permanent record that can be updated as needed.

Step 6: Do you have skeletons in your closet?

Every travel assignment you do will require a new background check. The general rule of thumb is that screens cover the last 7-10 years for all cities/states where you have lived and worked. Credit checks are less likely although sometimes a landlord will require one even though your agency is the actual leaseholder and responsible for your housing. It is best to give your agency any information that pertains to a potential background issue no matter how insignificant it may appear. Having an assignment cancelled by the facility for something that shows up on your background screen, after you have completed all the other steps to get ready for the assignment, is really frustrating. Don’t be surprised!

Step 7: Drug tests?

Just like background checks, you will be doing lots and lots of drug screens. The most common is a pre-employment screen for every new assignment. Your agency arranges the screens for you and pays for them. You may also have one during your first week at the facility and others as requested by the facility. And contrary to popular belief, these screens are not just looking for illegal drugs. If you are taking any drugs at all, make certain you have a current and valid prescription. Drug screens are board reportable and failing one, refusing to take one, etc. could lead you down an unhappy path with your board of nursing.

 

Want help with some of the many questions associated with travel nursing, download this free guide – The RN Travel Guide.

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Categories : Travel Nursing
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Is Travel Nursing the Right Career for You?

By Theresa · Comments (0)
Friday, February 3rd, 2012

The thought of becoming a travel nurse can be very challenging.  While there are many great reasons to become a travel nurse, there are several  things to consider before deciding if it is the correct career path for you.  Everyone’s choice is different and you need to make your own choice.  The following article covers a few of the pros and cons of becoming a travel nurse.

Pros for Becoming Travel Nurse

  • The Experience
    You get to work in a variety of the best hospitals around the country.  This helps you to broaden  your skills, learn different methods of care, meet fellow nurses and doctors, and enhance your resume.  Want to work at the next children’s hospital in the country?  You can do it.  Want to work at the top cancer centers?  You can do it.  Anything you want to do is available to you because of the seasonal need for nurses.  Whether you’re relatively new to the healthcare profession or  a veteran, travel healthcare will open your eyes to a wealth of new experiences.  You will  see how different facilities are managed.  You will have the opportunity to work in a variety of fields, if you choose.  And, you will  learn some amazing things from all the different practitioners you have the opportunity to work with.
  • Travel
    You get to visit cities you otherwise would probably not get to experience.  Sure, you may visit, but living there and visiting are two different things.  As a travel nurse, you can choose to travel all over the country or if you prefer to stay near your hometown, you can select   an assignment in your local area.  Some nurses prefer to travel every few months, while others rather stay in one area so they can experience all the seasons of the area.  As a travel nurse, you’ll get to see and stay in places that you’ve always wanted to.  You can work with your recruiter to build a wish list and spend time in some of our nation’s top destinations.
  • The Pay
    Since the travel nurse company usually pays for your housing and other smaller expenses, you actually make more money than when at home.  In your home city you still have to pay rent, mortgage, light, water, etc.  While traveling, these should be taken care of by the travel nurse company.  This leaves you with food, fun, and car expenses.  Traveling nurses are usually provided with an apartment near the medical facility where they will be working including furniture and other amenities, competitive salaries of up to $40 per hour, bonuses, a comprehensive medical, dental, life insurance and retirement plans and other health benefits.  The travel company also reimburses the expenses that the traveling nurses would incur while traveling, tax-free.  Let’s face it, many healthcare professionals get into travel because of the pay.  Many traveling jobs pay excellent wages and offer housing allowances.  This allows you rake in an outstanding salary in a short amount of time!
  • Hospital Politics
    The typical travel assignment is for 13 weeks.  Therefore, it is very difficult to be sucked into the politics that tend to unfortunately creep into many nursing units.  There is probably not an experienced nurse anywhere that doesn’t understand the frustrations associated with the negative dynamics or “politics” that can take place between fellow nurses, managers, administration, and physicians.  Travel nurses have no obligation to stick around and deal with these dynamics.

Cons for Becoming Travel Nurse

  • Advancement
    Travel nursing careers tend to be more bedside, hands on clinical nursing.  It is difficult to move up the corporate ladder as a travel nurse.  If nursing management is your career goal, then that will be difficult to find as a travel nurse.  However, travel nursing can provide a great skill set to help make nurses better managers.  This often means getting the experience as a travel nurse and then settling down into management role afterwards.
  • Loneliness
    With constant travel, it can be a challenge to establish roots and build personal relationships.  It’s important to know this going in, so that you can plan appropriately and ensure that the travel doesn’t put a strain on your personal life.  Travel nurses that go it alone can become lonely or homesick.  Many travel nurses bring their family or pet along with them to keep them company.
  • Cross Training
    Travel nurses tend to work in their current area of specialty only.  Nurses that wish to travel under a specialty that is different from their experience will be sorely disappointed, since most facilities are looking for nurses with 2+ years’ experience in their specialty.  Hospitals expect travel nurses to be able to hit the floor running with minimal orientation and will not invest several weeks of orientation into a travel nurse with a desire to try a new clinical specialty.
  • Temporary Position
    Since travel nursing can been seen by some as a temporary job within a facility, travel nursing itself can be viewed as temporary career move.  Being on a temporary contract can bring along with it some level of uncertainty.  Therefore, it’s important to work closely with your recruiter/travel agency to line up your next assignment well in advance.

Like any career choice, the decision to become a traveling nurse should be a decision made with care and consideration.  The truth is that there are many great things that a travel nursing career offers.  However, travel nursing does have a downside and is important that nurses know both the downsides and upsides before committing to an assignment.

Want help with some of the many questions associated with travel nursing, download this free guide – The RN Travel Guide.

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The 4 Key Factors about HCAHPS That Will Change the Way Your Hospital Operates in 2012

By Theresa · Comments (0)
Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) is the national standardized tool used to measure adult in patient impatient perception of the quality of care they receive at a given acute care hospital. Since 2007 most hospitals have been required to submit HCAHPS results in order to receive full Medicare payment. In the future HCAHPS will play an even larger role in reimbursement.

Hospital administrators across the country are focusing on how to improve these results. According to a Stouder Group Perspective Report (The Age of HCAHPS) here are four key factors that make HCAHPS very significant:

  • HCAHPS provides accurate “apples to apples” metrics.
    Essentially, HCAHPS creates a level playing field. It allows hospitals to see how they really stack up against the competition in the eyes of patients. And because strict guidelines must be followed in administering the survey, the comparisons are as fair and accurate as possible.
  • Results are tied to quality and clinical outcomes.
    In the past, critics of measuring patient satisfaction have deemed the concept too subjective and “soft.” The rise of HCAHPS eliminates these concerns. The survey zeroes in on issues that directly impact core clinical quality. For instance, there are questions addressing pain management, medication instructions, and discharge information. This method of measurement helps hospitals identify gaps in their own processes and procedures so they can work to improve in these areas. Remember, a wealth of “always” responses gets organizations ranked highly on the HCAHPS reporting website. Since quality care is what everyone in healthcare will be ultimately judged by—and compensated for—the fact that HCAHPS drives organizations to strive for a “culture of always” can’t be underestimated.
  • It gives consumers an easy way to compare hospitals.
    In the past, if an organization received unfavorable patient satisfaction results, it simply didn’t publicize them. Problem solved. With HCAHPS, however, it’s a different story. Consumers need only to log on to www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov to see how a hospital measures up to its competitors—locally, regionally, and nationally. As the public becomes more aware of HCAHPS reporting, consumers may gravitate toward hospitals with the highest scores. And while it’s true that many people are unlikely to visit the website themselves, they won’t have to: the local media is almost certain to do the legwork for them.
  • HCAHPS pay-for-performance is coming.
    Since 2007 most hospitals have been required to submit HCAHPS results in order to receive full Medicare payment. In in the future, HCAHPS will play an even larger role in reimbursement. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law last March, establishes a Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) plan beginning in FY2013 (based on hospitals’ performance in 2012 on measures that are part of the hospital quality reporting program). This will transition providers from HCAHPS pay-for-reporting to HCAHPS pay-for-performance. Also beginning in 2013: the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will impose financial penalties on what it deems “excess admissions” compared to expected levels for 30-day readmissions for heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia patients.

All of this means that there is no time to waste. Hospitals must take steps now to ensure that they are delivering exceptional quality care right now. When used effectively HCAHPS results can help your hospital improve the quality and clinical outcomes because these results shine a spotlight on who is getting it right. Be sure to check out the Stouder Group’s report and see how their evidence-based leadership tools and tactics can help your hospital.

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